2016-01-07 In a piece published on the French Air Force website on December 16, 2015, a brief overview of the Trilateral Exercise was provided and the French role within that exercise.
The article focused on the Distinguished Visitor Day on December 15, 2015.
The day started with a flight demonstration by the F-22, the top of the line USAF fighter. After the flight demos, the military representatives of the French Air Force, the Royal Air Force and the USAF provided a briefing about the missions engaged in during the exercise.
They provided a balance sheet of the exercise to that point.
According to General Creux: “the key challenge was to get our most modern aircraft to work together and to develop tactics together and the have strengthened their confidence in one another.”
After the briefing, General Creux met with French aviators in their work area and discussed the operation with them.
“Our aviators learned a lot from the exercise and have had a very good experience.”
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/actus-air/exercice-tei-rencontre-au-sommet-sur-la-base-de-langley
(Translation by Second Line of Defense).
In a separate discussion with a senior RAF pilot, the importance of working the skills for higher end combat was crucial and the involvement of the French Air Force very important.
“The eyes of the French Air Force was clearly opened with regard to the F-22 and fifth generation, and they themselves have much to contribute with their battle hardened combat capability and their latest generation aircraft.”
For this British combat pilot, the key for working the fifth generation with other aircraft was the ability of the former to provide for more survivability and lethality and with the legacy aircraft providing significant payloads to the fight.
The photos in the slideshow are credited to the French Air Force.